Effect of potassium permanganate pretreatment of pitch on the textural properties of pitch-based activated carbons

Petroleum pitch-based activated carbons (ACs) were obtained in this work from a combination of pretreatment with different amounts of potassium permanganate ($KMnO_4$) and chemical activation with potassium hydroxide. The surface characteristics of the pitch after the $KMnO_4$ pretreatment were characterized by means of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The structural characteristics of the pitch after the $KMnO_4$ pretreatment were determined by means of X-ray diffraction. The influence of the $KMnO_4$ treatment on the textural properties of the petroleum pitch-based ACs was investigated by means of $N_2$/77K adsorption isotherms. The investigation also involved the use of the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller equation and the Dubinin-Radushkevich method. The FT-IR results show that the pretreatment promotes the formation of surface oxygen functionalities and leads to an increase of the interplanar distance ($d₀₀₂$) of the functional groups induced between carbon layers. Moreover, the specific surface area of the pitch-based ACs increases in proportion to the amount of $KMnO_4$ pretreatment and reaches its highest value of 2334 $m^2$/g with 2 g of $KMnO_4$ because the surface oxygen groups of the pitch act as an active site during chemical activation.